New York City's electrical grid faced significant challenges during last week's heatwave, with isolated power outages impacting thousands of residents. Experts suggest that such occurrences may become more common as summer temperatures rise.
Approximately 3% of Con Edison customers, translating to around 110,000 individuals, experienced power outages lasting an average of four hours. These outages occurred in various areas across the city's five boroughs from Sunday, June 22 through Wednesday, June 25. According to the utility company, these incidents underscore the increasing pressure on the grid as buildings demand more electricity while fossil fuel energy sources are phased out without adequate replacements.
The strain is exacerbated by aging infrastructure like transmission lines that require urgent upgrades. The Champlain Hudson Power Express is expected to deliver clean energy from Canada to New York City starting May 2026 to address some of the projected energy shortfalls over the next decade. Governor Hochul has proposed adding a new nuclear power plant capable of generating 1 gigawatt—enough for one million homes—but no timeline has been set for this project.
Clinton Andrews, director of Rutgers’ Center for Urban Policy Research, commented on the potential impact: “One nuclear power plant is not a transformational amount of power, but it’s enough to help a little bit.”
Andrews also highlighted issues with current transmission capabilities: “Many of those [transmission lines] are maxed out, especially due to electric vehicles and also due to the increased presence of air conditioning and heat pumps,” he said. He noted that many lines are outdated and insufficiently equipped for modern demands.
